Locomotives struggle to draw, but not for lack of trying

Jim Fassel thinks of it as that new hamburger stand in town, the one you keep hearing about, the one with the best patty from here to Omaha, the one people go to and then tell a friend and they tell a friend and they tell a friend and word spreads like a high school rumor.

“It’s the best marketing program you can have,” Fassel said. “It can work here. People like a winner. They will get behind it. They want to walk out of the stadium and say, ‘We won,’ not ‘They won.’ It’s a matter of letting this thing catch on.”

Fassel speaks of the United Football League, and he is the second-year coach of its defending champion, a Las Vegas Locomotives team that, while more than capable on the field, has struggled mightily drawing fans to Sam Boyd Stadium.

The Locos are 3-1 entering today’s home game against last-place Hartford at 12:30 p.m., a time meant to attract families who might be searching for some weekend fun without dipping too heavy a hand into the savings account to pay for it.

It’s still a tough sell.

It’s a really tough sell.

There is a reason Las Vegas and Florida are the UFL franchises most lacking in attendance, cities where entertainment options are as attractive as the weather.

It is what it is — local youth soccer and football and softball and baseball fields today will be filled with the shrieks of children and cheering parents, the exact demographic those with the Locomotives hope to draw.

Las Vegas has played two home night games this season and has yet to entertain a gathering more than 9,800. You need to know that an announced attendance is not the number of actual people in the venue. It never is, although some sports take more liberty with their inflated fan base than others.

Translation: It’s safe to say each Las Vegas game this year has probably been attended by no more than 7,000.

In the second year of a franchise.

With the league’s best team playing.

Here’s the thing: The Locomotives do most things well. The level of football is very good. Fassel is a Super Bowl coach. They win. They have created a game-day atmosphere that appeals to all ages. Their ticket prices and packages are incredibly reasonable. People who get in their cars and make the drive down U.S. Highway 95 seem to have an enjoyable time with the intention of returning.

But here’s also the thing: Sometimes, you can do everything right and everything right isn’t enough.

The league office ran the marketing side of things in last year’s initial season, and it showed. All teams were housed in either Arizona or Florida. There was no local presence in Las Vegas other than on game day. It’s a wonder the Locos drew anyone.

Much of that changed this year, and yet the team’s marketing staff didn’t begin work until July, two months before the season opener. That also showed. There was no buzz. There wasn’t much of anything.

So the team adopted a grassroots approach and began showing up at any event where prospective fans might be — college games, high school games, races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. It continues now a daily grind of pushing the concept of watching professional football at an affordable rate.

“I think that no matter when we started (a local marketing presence), it hasn’t been tougher than I anticipated,” said Lou Rosenberg, director of business management for the Locomotives. “There are still a lot of people who don’t understand who we are, who still ask if we are an Arena team or the XFL. But having an improved television deal with the league and someone like Jim Fassel running our team and a roster littered with guys who played in the NFL always helps.

“You want to think big and yet at the same time have to be realistic about having patience and growing this opportunity. I’m expecting our biggest crowd of the season (today). With eight to nine months to prepare for the 2011 season, you could see a dramatic difference next year.”

I’m not so sure. It’s not for a lack of trying on the team’s part. It’s definitely not for a lack of winning or having skilled people such as Fassel calling the shots.

But this team isn’t capturing enough imaginations.

The league’s commissioner was sure Las Vegas would get 20,000 to its season opener. It drew a tad over 9,100, and there appeared to be 6,000 in the stands.

It’s a harsh reality: Sometimes, even the best hamburger doesn’t taste good to the masses.

Las Vegas Review-Journal sports columnist Ed Graney can be reached at egraney@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-4618. He can be heard from 2 to 4 p.m. Monday and 2 to 3 p.m. Thursday on “Monsters of the Midday,” FOX Sports Radio 920 AM.